Prince of Penance

-- Here's that slashy chapter I promised. Luv and luv and luv. :) --


Chapter Seventeen: Kissing Under The Mistletoe

On the third day after the trial of Gusto, the Queen had decided to hold a Royal Ball to farewell the men off on their dread adventure to fight the Kraken. But when the day of the ball arrived, the Queen herself and Gusto both seemed to dissappear somewhere within the palace. Rumour had it that Gusto had stolen off with the Queen into the night, both of them vanishing without a trace.

But Gruffi knew that wasn't true. He had slept in his bed, with Gusto, that night, and though it was true Gusto had been scarce all day, he wouldn't have just run off and leave without at least saying goodbye to Gruffi. No, Gusto was hiding away somewhere, though where was anybodies guess.

It didn't matter to Gruffi, for the ballroom was hot and stuffy, and the fancy clothes he had been forced into were enough to make him gag. Grammi had packed some nice formal robes for them all for just such an occasion, but he had refused to wear the ruffled collar and made her remove it. It was a decision he was quite glad he had made, it turned out ruffled collars were out of fashion in the court, but his plain duds didn't get a second glance.

But there was very little movement in the ballroom, and small whispered conversations. The ball couldn't officially start until the Queen danced the opening waltz. And the Queen was nowhere to be found.

I bet she's up in her rooms right now, trying to decide which dress would be the least cumbersome and sweaty. I wouldn't blame her for delaying; I'd have stayed in my rooms if I could have.

As an Ambassador, and as Gusto's lover, he had decided he had a commitment to looking after Gusto. But getting the Council's agreement on the matter was like pulling teeth. He had requested to be allowed to go with Gusto on his quest, and had been flat out denied.

"Battle is no place for a peasant," Karse had declared hotly.

The Council had pointedly accused him of just wanting to go where his lover went; there would be no use for him on a ship and he'd only get in the way.

Fuddy duddy old farts wouldn't know useful if it hit them in their overlarge arses, Gruffi thought vehemently.

But as he stood under the south windows with Grammi and Zummi, help came to him from a very surprising source. Prince Bryton approached him quietly, looking hot and surly in his heavy court crown and layers of chafing clothes.

"First law I'm going to pass when I become King is to drop human trends for fashion and court and return to the Gummi ways. What on Earth was Mother thinking?"

"Probably that it would be more merciful for the Princes to expire from heat rather than going to battle with a sea monster," Gruffi complained, tugging on his cuffs. "I can certainly understand why Gusto is hiding away someplace, probably trying to keep his cool."

"Speaking of my Uncle," said the Prince with unsubtle interest. "I hear you've been pleading with the Council to let you come with us on our trip. Have any luck?"

"Um...no," Gruffi said, scratching the back of his head bashfully. "Got any ideas?"

"Well," the Prince adjusted his Crown. "I may not have much power over the Council, but I'm sure I could bribe one of Karse's sailors to switch places with you. A proper disguise and you'll look just like a sea rat."

"Good idea," Gruffi declared looking amazed. "You're certainly different than I thought you were. Cubbi says you're a stuffy old fuddy duddy..."

Bryton coughed.

"Well I hope I'm not. And I know I owe a great deal to your family. I shall try my best from now on not to be so...cowardly."

"Bryton, the last thing I'd call you is a coward. But what's going on over there?"

Bryton and Gruffi had both just spotted the herald coming through the grand double doors. The poor old bear was waiting to get the Prince's attention before making his announcement. Bryton dutifully went over to sit upon his place and give the herald the nod of approval. All motion in the ballroom ceased.

"Announcing Her Majesty Queen Thistle Rose, and her escort, Prince Augustus the Third."

A chorus of shocked gasps filled the air as all the assembled court pressed forward to see the Queen and her escort. Gruffi pushed through a pair of chattering girls and stood his ground, not letting himself be swallowed in the crowd.

He was ever so glad that he did. No words could describe this moment. He felt his heart nearly die in his chest at seeing Gusto on the stair, where the royal pair had stopped to allow the room the full view of them before making their way down the hall.

No one could deny that these two were sister and brother, nor that they were royalty of a quality that surpassed all. From the tip of their toes to the tops of their head they sparkled.

Gruffi swallowed a lump in his throat. Gusto was wearing what could only have been a Prince's costume, a silver brocade doublet with matching gloves, silver hose with buckled silver shoes on his feet and, opposed to all fashion trends, a ruffled shirt with the collar undone just a tad, allowing tufts of his blue furred chest peeking out. Of course he couldn't wear a crown, so he went bare headed, and hence it was not Gusto who stood the tallest of this pair, but the Queen herself.

For she could only have once been a royal bride in this dress. Layers upon layers of Tulles lace cascaded from her bossom to the floor like the petals of a delicate flower, sparkling with the thousands of tiny diamonds sewn into not only the lace and fabric, but into her hair as well, and the short train veil that she wore from her crown.

The gasps of shock turned to whispers of delight and fantasy at seeing the pair; they had made quite the impresison. Both wasted no time in strolling down the center of the ballroom, where they bowed before Prince Bryton.

The Prince was obviously in shock. Of course he would be.

"Mother..." he said. "Oh Mother..."

"Dearest Son," said the Queen, lifting her skirts delicately. "You have never seen your Mother in her bridal clothes. For this is the last time I shall wear them before passing them to your future bride, whoever she may be. You shall return home to me a man and a King, and my brother shall be renewed as a Prince. More the power to you both, and to this festival which I give in both your honour."

She was speaking in the formalistic courtly manner, and Gruffi mentally rolled his eyes. He could see Gusto was shaking his head. But if Thistle Rose enjoyed the old manner of speaking, who was anybody to judge.

"Well then, I shall not stop you from dancing the first dance."

"Before we do," said Gusto suddenly, causing the Prince to take a step back. "I have an announcement of my own to make. For this may be the last time my sister is to stand as the ruling Queen, and I go off to battle the horrible kraken which has been my trial and my task, so I may never get another chance to fullfill her one request of me; to bestow upon her a traditional Gummi name, in accordance with Ancient Gummi Tradition. A ruling name, and a use name, such as I myself have chosen to go by."

The formal language sounded too foreign coming from Gusto's lips. Bryton looked almost hurt by this, but recovered quickly, as if he had been expecting something like this for awhile.

"And which name has my honoured Uncle chosen for her ladyship?"

The Queen chuckled, for some strange reason, and turned to look at Gusto, who smiled back at her.

"Misti," Gusto said without any quibble. "From the English Mistletoe, which is a herb that Gummi Bears have harvested on the mainland for over a hundred years."

"I should know," Grammi whispered to Gruffi with a mirthful chuckle. "I harvested some just before we left Gummi Glen."

"You've done your research I see. Very well," said Bryton smiling. "Then let the royal ball begin!"

The maestro in the corner tapped his baton, the band lifted its instruments, and a hearty waltz soon filled the room. Gruffi was mesmerised with watching Gusto spin his sister around the dance floor, her skirts sweeping the floor in wide circumference and formally keeping the gawking crowd at a distance from getting to close. He was amazed when Gusto actually lifted her and spun her around; her skirt must not have been as heavy as it appeared. Either that or Gusto had just given his poor back a taxing exercise and was hiding the strain well.

But regardless of the dance or the steps on the floor, the joy of the two dancers was purely evident for the entire court to see. Queen Thistle Rose, now known as Misti, was giving her partner such an expression of rapturous joy that it made Gruffi's heart melt.

I never knew just how close they were, why if they weren't related I'm sure...well...

Gruffi didn't want to think of the possibility that royal members of a single family could marry one another. It was against his purely Gummi way of thinking that siblings would ever marry.

No...no they're just having fun...

Soon Prince Bryton cut into their dance, and had his own turn around the dance floor with the Queen, which meant everyone else in the room could take a partner and dance. Gruffi backed away from the clamoring crowd of girls around him who were now plying up every male member of the Court for a dance. Zummi had taken Grammi's hand to take her for a spin, so that left Gruffi without a partner.

That is until Sunni approached him.

"Well, girly, wanna give your old man a spin?" said Gruffi.

It was rare that he spoke to her in terms that rendered her his foster daughter, instead of just Sunni, but she was delighted by this from the evident sparkle in her eyes.

"Okay!"

Gruffi soon came to realize his toes, and back, were not as used to cutting a rug as they had once been. After one waltz, one very short waltz, he limped back to the side of the room, grateful when Bryton came to cut in on their dance.

"Ooh, I'm never going to do that again," said Gruffi, slumping onto a handy stool near the entree table.

"Oh never?" said a wry voice. "Really? Not even for me?"

Gruffi looked up at Gusto and gulped quite audibly.

"I...er...doubt the Court would be impressed with us."

"More like we would be drawn and quartered," said Gusto, leaning against the wall next to Gruffi's stool. "Ah, I do want to talk to you, eventually, about our eventual return to Gummi Glen."

"You want to go back home?" Gruffi looked aghast. "But don't you want to stay here?"

Neither of them were mentioning the possibility that Gusto could fail to slay the monster, or be killed in the process.

"Well," Gusto leant down to whisper into his ear. "Misti plans to escape with me. She doesn't plan on being the Queen here any longer than she needs to be."

"I gathered that from the new name. Why Mistletoe?"

Gusto shrugged.

"People just seem to kiss a lot around her. Its uncanny; she's like a kissing magnet. She'll never forgive me for that name..." Gusto chuckled. "But I think she is secretly enjoying all this."

"I suppose she is," Gruffi says. "Doesn't help that she's always dressed up in such fancy clothes. Now she has to have you all dressed up too."

"Want to ditch this party and go do some of our own kissing?" Gusto hinted, causing Gruffi to break out into a deep red blush. "And I can ditch these stuffy old clothes. I wanted to make a statement, but I don't know why she insisted we both talk in that old fangled formal diatribe. I guess she's just traditional that way."

"Because it annoys everyone else," Gruffi said, rising to his pained feet. "I should at least dance once with Grammi..."

"No, I think she and Zummi will be dancing the night away," Gusto said, giggling. "Come on Gruffimundo, a walk in the garden? Nobody will miss us."

"Fine fine, but no mistletoe, you maniac, until we're out of site, or I won't be responsible for getting us out of whatever cell they decide to throw us in."

The gardens were covered in sparkling party lanterns and soft roses and other flowers were planted freshly here just for the occasion of the Queen's ball. Gruffi was sure that the week's gossip would be about the future King Bryton, the Queen's decision to stop using her formal name, and all the nervousness about the Kraken. But tonight was a night for lovers. In every alcove there seemed to be secret couples enjoying secret kisses and secret conversations. It was hard enough getting away from the amorous couples in the hedges, the gardens, the walkways, but it was even worse trying to get away from Arte Deco, who some reason had decided to fly down from their window to trail them.

"By the Great Gummis, you try to get a bit of privacy," Gusto grumbled, the two of them resigned to climbing up onto a comfortable stone fence and planting themselves there. "Arte why don't you go enjoy the party, I'm sure nobody will bother too much about you."

"Neh, this is more interesting," the bird squawked.

"Grammi put you up to this, didn't she?" Gruffi said, taking his hat off to try and shoo the bird away, which didn't help much.

"Ignore him Gruffi," Gusto chuckled. "Just carry on as if he weren't here."

Gruffi decided that this was a good idea, and pulled Gusto into his arms to kiss him with much...gusto.

"Hmph!" Arte squawked and flew over to a convenient tree to keep an eye out for passers bye.

It was many long moments before they parted.

"Are you afraid?" Gruffi said, putting an arm around Gusto's shoulders.

"Um, yeah," Gusto admitted. He didn't ask what exactly he was afraid of; they both knew. "Are you?"

"Neh," Gruffi said. "I think you'll be okay, Bryton's gonna look after you."

"I...I don't think I'll be able to go without you," Gusto said, clenching his fingers into Gruffi's shirt. "I haven't been able to stop painting since last night. I've been painting all the pictures of how I want our life, our future, to be. I've painted all my relatives that you've never met, so that I can have pictures of them for the Glen. I've painted Grammi, Zummi, Tummi Cubbi and Sunni. I've painted Bryton and Misti. I've painted it all. I never want to leave you."

"You won't," Gruffi said, feeling a lump come up to his throat. "Bryton's gonna smuggle me aboard the ship so we can go together."

"He...is?" Gusto laughed. "That sneak. Okay I suppose I'll see you on the way then."

"Don't think Bryton is gonna let you get hurt by the monster. I'm sure he'll have a plan."

"Yeah, and Zummi has a plan too. He's going to put a spell on me of some kind, but he hasn't said what yet. I go to the library first thing in the morning so he can cast it."

"Some sort of protection spell?"

"Something like that," Gusto shrugged. "I'll be able to take some of his magic and use it if I need in, since I won't be able to access my own magic. The Kraken is feeding off my power, but its not feeding off Zummi."

"Ah, that's genius!" Gruffi laughed heartily, and hugged Gusto tight. "You'll be fine!"

"I know I will. I have you here, I know I will."

"I...have something to give you before you go, to help you protect yourself. Come...back to our rooms?" Gruffi said, feeling more and more miserable by the second.

"Sure," was Gusto's reply.



Gruffi got the feeling, at that moment, that Gusto would do nearly anything for Gruffi without a moment's thought. It was a frightening feeling, but maybe, just maybe he felt the same way.


-seperator-

Arte followed them back to their rooms of course, but for some reason Gusto didn't mind. Having his feathered friend as a bodyguard was better than being caught off guard, and Arte had always looked out for him before.

Gusto pulled off his jacket and spent an inordinate amount of time fiddling with all the little buttons, before finally getting all his clothes off. Gruffi came out from wherever he had been, the bathroom and maybe his own closet, and approached Gusto with something in his hands.

"Here you are," said Gruffi, handing to Gusto a simple dagger in a sheath. "Take this."

Gusto took the dagger, examined it, then pulled it from the sheath. It was a wicked little blade with a rather sharp knife, and the hilt was shaped to resemble a Gummi with his arms stretched.

"It'll cut through anything, really," Gruffi said, finding a comfortable place on the bed to sit. "It was my pop's. Don't know what the metal is but its never needed sharpening. Very tough stuff. Gummi made."

"I can tell. Its so light!"

"But it'll cut through wood, leather and even bones. I've used it for fishing and its quite handy. I...I'll feeler better if you have a good weapon on you."

"What'll you have?" Gusto said, feeling his chest constrict.

"I have a small knife. But that's neither here nor there, you're going to be the target of any fighting right?"

"Yeah," Gusto swallowed, though he wasn't so sure about that, and put the knife with his clothes and supplies for the next day's departure. "Enough about that though, I'm guessing there's something else you want to give me?"

Gruffi chuckled, and put out a finger, wiggling it towards himself in a 'come hither' manner. About two hours later Gusto pushed his head up from under the pillows and blankets to look up at Arte, who was grinning in that parrot-like way that spoke volumes.

"Not one word," Gusto said, finding a comfortable place to curl up to sleep. "Could be our last night together you know."

"You'll be fine," was all Arte had to say. "You're a survivor."

"Yeah, a survivor of what though? I'm not immortal."

A swallow was Arte's only response to this. And of course Gruffi started snoring.

Nothing ever changes...guess I'd better go do some painting, or I'll never get back to sleep.

Besides, Gruffi had given him many moments of blissful inspiration of which he could paint, and he didn't want to ever forget this moment in time.